Why the Force is with the Volvo EX30

Volvo for years has started each design journey for its cars by using the face of a mammal for its inspiration.

The practice has served it well as it gives the creative team an immediate personal connection to the car, Volvo Vice President of Exterior Design T. Jon Mayer said.

For example, the XC90 premium large SUV's face is that of a proud, confident lion.

For the new EX30 Volvo wanted to try a new twist on the theme, said Mayer, who channeled his passion for "Star Wars" for this task.

To make the car edgier and more playful than its siblings, without sacrificing on confidence, Mayer took inspiration from the iconic helmet worn by fictional bounty hunter Boba Fett.

Mayer, an American who builds and sells non-lethal light sabers for fun (see photo, below), said that Boba Fett's most recognizable piece of Mandalorian armor would translate well when applied to Volvo's smallest, quickest and most affordable model.

He even created a version of the helmet, in white, using a 3D printer to give life to the image in his mind (below).

The helmet cheeks represent the EX30's front fenders and showcase the strength in the bodyside section of the car, said Mayer, who joined Volvo in 2011 and started in his current role in 2020.

"As a result of its visual robustness the EX30's strength and physical safety is visually complemented in the surfaces of the exterior treatment -- solid volumes carved from a monolithic mass," Mayer told me on the sidelines of the car's media test drive event in Barcelona on Wednesday.

The helmet's thin, distinctive visor is represented in the EX30's usage of the Thor's Hammer headlights.

The brand's front lighting signature was first shown in the 2013 Volvo Concept coupe -- designed by Mayer. It was implemented in the production version in the second-generation XC90 and has appeared on every Volvo since.

Mayer added that the EX30's graphic design lines make it appear more youthful.

Another feature he strives for as head of Volvo's exteriors is to capture the essence of Scandinavian design, which Mayer interprets as being pure and so simple that: "A child should be able to draw it using just three lines."

That is the case with the EX30, which he said can be distilled into three line, as shown below for the small SUV's front and back (see below).

To him that simplicity is what makes Scandinavian design so appealing. "It's about great proportions, beautiful materials and showing restraint," he said, "resulting in something that is timeless."